God Protected Forest
The home of the dark elves, a race with great combat abilities and strong racial unity. Having gained autonomy over the forest, the dark elves reside within it and rarely communicate with outsiders.
For the dark elves, the forest is their home — a sacred place they all worship and protect. Over the years, due to poor forest management, a subject unfamiliar to the people of this era, the forest now faces a great crisis.
Now, facing the dire state of thin trees and loose soil that cannot hold water, the dark elves are threatened by landslides.
In the novel, Aisha Udgard, the daughter of the chief who took the title of heretic among her kind, left the forest and won the martial arts tournament, gaining an audience with the king.
Aisha's goal was to ask the king to implement stronger restrictions on entry to the forest and to ensure that intruders do not harm her home and people, thereby stopping the ongoing clashes.
With her introduction to the basics of forest management — in theory and on common levels — the man, with his display of knowledge, won over Aisha and later took her as his bodyguard and, eventually, his wife.
In this reality, Damon listened to Aisha's plea and her request to visit the forest with her. Her simple-minded nature offering herself and her loyalty at his service as she bowed her head.
"Visiting the home of dark elves…" Damon muttered, troubled, as Hakuya continued. "Sorry, but this request… is quite sudden."
"My friend, the Saint here can't just leave the capital as of now. We have many matters to attend to here as well," Hakuya interjected, refusing to accept the request.
"Please, I beg you. Not for me, but for the forest and my people."
"I pledge to serve you loyally for the rest of my life!" bowing her head, Aisha said.
Prostrating herself before Damon, she continued, "Use my life however you will! My body, my heart, my chastity, I offer to you! If you tell me to fight, I will fight! If you tell me to love you, I will love you! If you tell me to become your concubine or slave, I will do it! If you tell me to die, I will die!"
"However, before you order me to die, I ask you to heed my final request!"
Aisha declared. Her actions made Damon uncomfortable, but Hakuya remained calm and silent.
"Okay…" Damon finally agreed, reaching out to Aisha and helping her stand. "I will visit the God Protected Forest… okay?"
"Really? Thank you, my lord!" Hearing Damon's words, Aisha looked up, her eyes teary, gazing at the red-eyed man who had finally agreed to her request.
"Yes. Let's visit the forest. I would help restore your forest," Damon promised. "..and since we are at it, why don't we head there by tomorrow itself?"
"Tomorrow? Really! Yes, thank you very much. I would guide you to the forest." Aisha's mood brightened at the suggestion as she clutched Damon's hand, thanking him again and again.
Aisha's main goal at Parnam was to get a ban for others to enter the God Protected Forest. Even she knew that the king wouldn't grant her that outright, but still, at least to enforce stricter laws, she was ready to fight till the end.
But now, meeting Damon, who could address a more important issue and restore the forest they held sacred, she gave up her original goals and just wanted to take him back to the forest.
"Tomorrow, really?" Hakuya said, sighing and shaking his head at Damon's decision.
"Yeah, tomorrow." Damon nodded, grinning at the departing Aisha. "A dark elf who values pride above all. A warrior of her capability prostrating herself in front of me."
"How can I not honor her?"
"Oh really?" Hakuya questioned. "I thought you didn't want her to continue participating in the tournament."
"After all, a warrior of her level would be a waste to have serve someone else," Hakuya said calmly with a smile, to which Damon looked at him in offense.
"What do you take me for?" he said, his expression painting betrayal. "Not everyone has the twisted mind of yours."
"My intentions were noble and respected the warrior she is. Don't slander me."
"Oh my, how noble. Pardon me for rudeness, dear Saint."
"Do you want to get hit?"
"Hahaha."
***
In laughter, the night of Parnam finally came to an end. The sun rose with new vigor as the people of Parnam woke, looking forward to another wonderful day.
The news of Damon and Aisha — two of the strongest warriors who made names for themselves — withdrawing from the tournament first made the crowd gasp, followed by the relatively minor news of Hakuya, the top scorer in the Tournament of Wisdom, withdrawing too.
In the morning, Damon and Aisha departed from Parnam, their destination the God Protected Forest.
Hakuya and Bardok's group bid them farewell as they left. Poncho, still bedridden, hardly left the bathroom, and under Damon's arrangement and Hakuya's care, he was left in Parnam.
While Damon and Aisha left Parnam, Hakuya was granted yet another task. Now provided with dozens of gold coins in Damon's possession, Hakuya was tasked with several orders.
First was to recruit the talents that participated in the tournament — not the top performers who already had attention on themselves, but rather those who were disqualified or failed to make names for themselves.
They were the ones who would be awarded no rewards or lesser ones, making them easier to poach.
From the Tournament of Wisdom, Prix, and Talent, search for the talents and manpower Damon needs for his future plans in Parnam.
Next was to get in touch with a few merchants, blacksmiths, and other notable names connected with Bardok.
Adventuring the kingdom, the man had many friends and connections with the right people. Damon wanted Hakuya to use Bardok to get in touch with these people in advance before he returned.
The final order was to find a place to rent to set up the future base of his operations. Not at the moment, since rent and purchase prices were sky-high in the bustling capital.
A few days or a week after the tournament ended, rent and get some places for cheap to stay in Parnam.
'Out of five people… I have taken in three brilliant ones,' Damon thought, considering how much he had changed the story and the impact it would have for Souma and Elfreiden.
Out of the original five people who were to be awarded, Damon poached three talents, leaving two alone.
Tomoe and Juna.
Juna was the granddaughter of Duchess Excel herself and tasked to find out more about the king. So it was impossible to get her on Damon's side anyway as a future princess.
Damon had no plans for her. Her ability was interesting, but he could do better. Not to mention Souma and the royal family would provide the girl with a new home, showering her with love once adopted.
Damon had no plans of disrupting her future and destroying her happiness… yet.